2020 Golf Thread

I misspoke slightly - format is Modified Scotch. Each hit own drive, pick best one, then alternate shot from there. Must take at least 4 drives from each player. She'll be hitting from the gold tees (senior) not green (hybrid sr./womens), so it'll be a little more difficult. Our only chance is in low net category. Less stressful than pure alternate shot, but still plenty of foment potential. She's a 21.4 right now.
That format makes much more sense, and is what I would have thought most clubs would have. Still a proper marital test, but not something that would make you preemptively call a divorce lawyer before the round.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,946
I'm pretty sure most of us can relate to this.
Relate? I wrote the fucking book. My only solution when it all went to shit was to quit for 6 years, no range, no mini-golf, full on quit. I've cut my index in half this year, from over 15 to 7.7, in my first year back.

So yeah, my go to advice now when someone is struggling is to tell them to quit for half a decade, and then come back and hope for the best. That's about all I have.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
The attractive assistant golf pros, tennis pros and swim coach help with the divorce fomenting.

I misspoke slightly - format is Modified Scotch. Each hit own drive, pick best one, then alternate shot from there. Must take at least 4 drives from each player. She'll be hitting from the gold tees (senior) not green (hybrid sr./womens), so it'll be a little more difficult. Our only chance is in low net category. Less stressful than pure alternate shot, but still plenty of foment potential. She's a 21.4 right now.

This used to be the format for the monthly Husband/Wife (or signif other/signif other) Pinehurst for years when sociopaths set up the tournamants, and many did refer to it as "The Divorce Open." Someone finally figured out this was not fun, and switched to a foursome-based scramble teams, and unleashed the bar carts. We very much look forward to the Pinehurts now.


UPDATE: my one good score dropped index from 18.6 to 18.
I played in a similar format just a week ago (without the 4 drive minimum and for only 9 holes). The picking a drive aspect almost creates more discord than straight alternate shot, because it forces you to discuss strategy. At one point I was told “you’re hitting the approach because I’m not risking having you chip again” and “sorry I hit a bad shot, I usually know better and avoid the woods; I’m not used to playing from here.”

All and all, pretty fun though. I had never played a round with only two balls, so the pace of play was rapid.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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Jul 31, 2006
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It's called a Chapman format in many places and it can be super fun or super miserable, depending on your partner or how you're playing. My usual Chapman partner used to tell me he was putting me in the woods on purpose because I was better out of the woods than I was from the fairway. I used to tell him that if I missed the putt it was going to be by 8 feet because he couldn't hit a 2 footer. It's a great balance of having a partner and hating your partner. It really is ideal for married couples.
 

barbed wire Bob

crippled by fear
SoSH Member
This is probably a question more towards the mid-high handicappers, but maybe the low ones can answer. Sometimes, in the middle of a round, I just lose my swing. This past weekend, for instance, I was 2 over after 4. Not a bad start for me. The back half of the front 9 is usually where I can score. Just sets up better for my game. But on 5 I ended up picking up, as I put 1 into the water and 2 into the woods. it was like somebody unplugged the controller for my swing.
It wasn't a gradual slip of the swing... 4 was a par 3 where I hit a nice mid iron in. Any thoughts on how to get things back together when things go awry like that?
What I started to do, and it was thanks to this thread, was trying to think "Swing like Annika"-- I had gone to a golf camp about 20 years ago, and when I was making good swings, I felt like it was easy/effortless/solid. My problem was that I was saying "swing like Annikin"
This might help.
View: https://youtu.be/7Q-PXTHVmyA
 

FL4WL3SS

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Jul 31, 2006
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Andy Brickley's potty mouth
One doesn't lose their swing on the course, they most likely have lost some combination of timing, rhythm or sequencing with sequencing being the most likely culprit usually caused by a change in setup or alignment.

If you're struggling on the course, don't try and find your swing, focus on the basics. Typically you'll find what's missing.

For example, if your alignment gets off it can have a drastic impact on swing path and potentially whether or not you're pivoting correctly (or correctly for you to make solid contact). This can then impact your timing and rhythm as you try and create speed to get back to the ball.
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
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Nov 29, 2005
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Worcester
Thanks,
It's funny that he mentions Annika... as, again, that is the feel I go for. I thing my problem is I get too flat. The velcro of my glove ends up pointing at the sky... at which point I am dead. From there it is either shank or yank. Then when I focus on correcting that, I forget to make a turn, and get all arms.... yada yada yada.

But I'll work on this when I get out to my parents' house Sunday (maybe during halftime). They have an acre of land, and some whiffle golf balls.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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If you're struggling on the course, don't try and find your swing, focus on the basics. Typically you'll find what's missing.
This. A million times this. I've had many times where I've lost things on the course and the best thing to control is my setup and grip. Even now thinking back to Sunday when I hit it terrible I know I wasn't focused on my grip which has been a pain point for me lately. I could have easily fixed it instead of thinking of 100 other things like I did.
 

barbed wire Bob

crippled by fear
SoSH Member
Thanks,
It's funny that he mentions Annika... as, again, that is the feel I go for. I thing my problem is I get too flat. The velcro of my glove ends up pointing at the sky... at which point I am dead. From there it is either shank or yank. Then when I focus on correcting that, I forget to make a turn, and get all arms.... yada yada yada.

But I'll work on this when I get out to my parents' house Sunday (maybe during halftime). They have an acre of land, and some whiffle golf balls.
Another way to get back in sync is to make some easy practice swings (half swings or 3/4) with an eight iron and just try to brush the grass. Don’t even worry about the mechanics, just try to get into a rhythm and feel the swing. Then, with that feeling in mind hit a few half shots with the eight iron. Don’t worry about where the ball goes or even hitting the ball, the goal is to make a good swing. Ideally, whether it’s on the practice range or on the golf course, you shouldn’t be thinking about hitting the ball at all. You should be thinking about swinging through the ball i.e., imagine the ball occupying a point on the arc the club face makes. You will find most times the reason why you get out of sync is because you are focusing too much on hitting the ball perfectly.
 

mostman

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Jun 3, 2003
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Ate an edible and got out there today. Just good to get 3.5 hours of something that feels normal. 78. Happy with that.
 

voidfunkt

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Apr 14, 2006
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This is probably a question more towards the mid-high handicappers, but maybe the low ones can answer. Sometimes, in the middle of a round, I just lose my swing. This past weekend, for instance, I was 2 over after 4. Not a bad start for me. The back half of the front 9 is usually where I can score. Just sets up better for my game. But on 5 I ended up picking up, as I put 1 into the water and 2 into the woods. it was like somebody unplugged the controller for my swing.
It wasn't a gradual slip of the swing... 4 was a par 3 where I hit a nice mid iron in. Any thoughts on how to get things back together when things go awry like that?
What I started to do, and it was thanks to this thread, was trying to think "Swing like Annika"-- I had gone to a golf camp about 20 years ago, and when I was making good swings, I felt like it was easy/effortless/solid. My problem was that I was saying "swing like Annikin"
Yea this happens to me. I switch to using the drill-swing shown in this video: View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5o4A0IrGqg
(4:00 minute mark he does a full swing using the drill) when my swing starts to fall apart.

It looks really weird and you will definitely get some comments from whoever you're playing with but it usually gets back on track enough to salvage a round that is quickly falling apart.

Honestly I've thought about switching to it more full time as a swing. It just simplifies a lot of shit in the take away.
 
I switch to using the drill-swing shown in this video:
So...I watched this video several times over the weekend, and I really like the principles this guy articulates. I can definitely grasp the three elements of the backswing he talks about here, and I can recognize in these terms how my own backswing goes wrong when it goes wrong - usually for me it's actually the arm rotation rather than the wrist cock, although all three elements can go askew for me when I start messing up. And because I have been messing up a lot lately, and my swing has felt out of kilter for a while, yesterday in my backyard I tried the drill-swing in the video a couple of times. It felt good, and I was excited to try and bring some of these principles onto the course for my morning round today at Dunbar.

On the first hole of my round today, I hit the ball so badly that my first putt on the hole was for a double-bogey. And at the second hole, after three shots on the par 5 I was still 80 yards short of the green. And shortly thereafter I realized/remembered that I simply cannot process swing mechanics in the way that videos like these impart them: I'm a feel player. I have swing thoughts, sure, but I don't connect them to mechanics like these. By the 5th hole, I'd decided to try and reduce my entire thought process to: 1) keep my arms close to my body throughout the swing (which helps me rotate my body and avoid arm-only swings), and 2) make sure I fire my hips through the ball almost before starting my downswing, making sure my arms couldn't get ahead of the rest of my body. And by the 6th fairway, I felt confident enough to aim my 8-iron to the green directly at the sucker pin on the front-right corner...and I hit the shot to four feet. I didn't hit the ball perfectly for the rest of the round, but I did strike the ball very well a lot of the time - well enough to shoot a 77, despite my miserable start. Golf is weird.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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I'm with you CP. If there are more than 1 or 2 thoughts then it messes with everything. When my swing goes bad, it's almost always tempo or balance or both. I have a few really simple thoughts I use to help correct them, but it's got to be something simple like staying focused on the ball or setting my right knee before I swing (so I rotate and don't sway) and, as much as I can, I try to make them pre-swing thoughts, rather than in swing thoughts. Set up, balance and focus can be handled before I start the hard part.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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I thought I would regale the Husband-Wife Championship debacle from Saturday.

We started on hole 3 - a downhill dogleg left par 5 that is not too hard if you stay in generally good position. Road on left of hole, plenty of room right. There are two ponds near the green, but navigatable, and if one positions correctly, can run the ball up to green between them as needed. We both hit drive in format, then choose best one and alternate shot in from there. Wife is playing from gold tees, which are close to my white tees on a lot of holes, so harder for her. She's a very consistent ball striker, rarely hitting topped or fat shots, while I'm more inconsistent. And I'm hitting drives only 220 these days, so distance is an issue.

Anyway, she hits first, pops a drive into fairway about 150 or so. I hit a decent drive, pulled left, but carries the tree along road and is in play, cutting off the corner, and in light rough with a decent lie. My best shot would not allow her to get to the green in 3, but if she hits her normal shot, I'll have a chance to reach, so we choose my drive. She hits 7 wood...20 feet. Tops it badly. Hadn't done that in months. Rut roh. I now have lie on side of a hump, ball above my feet, but decent lie. I hit a 3 hybrid and make good clean contact, and run the ball left side of fairway to about 110 yds. But we have to go over the pond. She hits her normal club - likely a 6 iron, from a slighlty downhill lie. Catches it a little thin, plunks in the water. Oh shit.

We clarify that the penalty stroke doesn't count in the alternating format, so it's my turn to hit. I drop on a flat area in fringe, about 75 yds away, but still have to clear the pond. Bunkers on left and far right, but clear path to green otherwise. I butterknife my gap wedge, as my son likes to describe such shots, and ball skirts along top of pond. I'm devestated, but also immediately hopeful, as there's a good chance it will skid across. Its does...but hit a rock on far side of edge of pond, pops up straight back, and into the pond. Double Oh Shit.

Lying 7, she hits shot from the same spot, but manages a line drive over the green, over the bunkers. One thing you want to avoid on our course is being above the hole, and this one is no different. For our ninth shot, I've got a downhill sidehill pitch about 10 yrds off the green from the rough that I have to land on the rough to have any chance of stopping it on the green. Miracle of miracles, I do that, and ball ends up still past the hole, and 15 away. Her turn to putt.

She's played a lot of golf this year. She knows the greens, speed etc. She proceeds to pop the putt 8 feet past the hole, and above it, leaving a precarious downhiller. Finally too overcome to hold back, I let out an audible "What the fuck?!?" There's an audible hush amongst our group, and thankfully our playing partners are good friends who know us well enough to not be too alarmed by this run of events. I baby our 11th shot down the hill, just slightly overreading the break, and she taps in for our 12.

The bar cart, like a answered prayer, arrives at the next tee. I order my usual mid round swing elixer of a double Capt. and diet. I asked her if she wants anything, and she says no. "Are you sure?" I re-ask. Nope.

We got 19 strokes that day based on the handicap calculation (60% low handicap, 40% high handicap). We were +6 net after one hole, and finished the day +8 net. Winning score was -4, so we likely had no chance even if we didn't mess up that hole.

As of the typing of the last letter of this post, we are still married.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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Perhaps. After a few holes, we made it our goal not to finish last, and just managed to pull that off.

We played with the same group yesterday. Playing same hole, put third shot into pond after it hit a tree limb. I dropped from about the same spot as the day before, and put it on the green. The predictable "where was that yesterday?" from the other three was amusing.
 

mostman

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Jun 3, 2003
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So...I watched this video several times over the weekend, and I really like the principles this guy articulates. I can definitely grasp the three elements of the backswing he talks about here, and I can recognize in these terms how my own backswing goes wrong when it goes wrong - usually for me it's actually the arm rotation rather than the wrist cock, although all three elements can go askew for me when I start messing up. And because I have been messing up a lot lately, and my swing has felt out of kilter for a while, yesterday in my backyard I tried the drill-swing in the video a couple of times. It felt good, and I was excited to try and bring some of these principles onto the course for my morning round today at Dunbar.

On the first hole of my round today, I hit the ball so badly that my first putt on the hole was for a double-bogey. And at the second hole, after three shots on the par 5 I was still 80 yards short of the green. And shortly thereafter I realized/remembered that I simply cannot process swing mechanics in the way that videos like these impart them: I'm a feel player. I have swing thoughts, sure, but I don't connect them to mechanics like these. By the 5th hole, I'd decided to try and reduce my entire thought process to: 1) keep my arms close to my body throughout the swing (which helps me rotate my body and avoid arm-only swings), and 2) make sure I fire my hips through the ball almost before starting my downswing, making sure my arms couldn't get ahead of the rest of my body. And by the 6th fairway, I felt confident enough to aim my 8-iron to the green directly at the sucker pin on the front-right corner...and I hit the shot to four feet. I didn't hit the ball perfectly for the rest of the round, but I did strike the ball very well a lot of the time - well enough to shoot a 77, despite my miserable start. Golf is weird.
Monte is great. He was one of the very first teachers to put content up on YT. And he’s still at it. He’s very good at explaining things in a way that is simple to understand and to implement.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Oct 1, 2015
24,375
First round of golf in a few weeks the other day. Started off 7, 5, 7 (+7) including two lost balls before settling down. Put up an 85 after that start, so I was relatively pleased when all was said and done. My best shot of the day was on a long par four, I pushed my tee shot to the right behind a big tree. My choice was to chip out or hit a low cut from left to right under the lowest branches and around the tree. Struck a 3-iron perfectly, hit about a 200-yard low cut right to the fringe, about 15 feet from the hole.

Every now and then, I can get the ball to do exactly what I want. Not often enough, but every now and then.
 
Not a round of golf as such, but this week is the 25th anniversary of when I met my wife - at Leuchars train station near St. Andrews, where I arrived for my junior year abroad and she was serving on the university's Overseas Student Orientation Weekend Welcome Committee (and, as she now freely admits, looking for American or Canadian men to potentially date). So today we took our kids on a day trip to St. Andrews, with a stop for a photo op at the train station - a trip we usually take about once a year. Parked our car just to the right of the 18th fairway on the Old Course, just short of Granny Clark's Wynd, and had a stroll down to the Road Hole and across the Wynd as well as a marital photo on Swilcan Bridge between groups. And our daughter is now the equivalent of a sophomore in high school, so she is at least starting to think about colleges, and it was wonderful to see her look at St. Andrews from that perspective as well. It was a beautifully sunny day, and a lovely reminder of one of my favorite places in the world; the only really weird thing - pandemic-related concessions notwithstanding - was being in St. Andrews while the US Open is taking place!
 

Dan Murfman

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I played today at Winnapaug Country Club in Westerly. I’ve played many rounds there over the years and enjoyed this Donald Ross course, it’s been a few years since playing it and it was just sad. First they’re still charging $60 with a cart. I don’t mind paying that but the course it’s just in sad shape. There are no fairways or rough. Mostly hard pan all the way around. The tees barely had grass. The only redeeming thing is the greens were in decent shape. They will never get my money again. But hey i shot 91 so there is that.
 

voidfunkt

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Apr 14, 2006
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Frustrating last two weeks of golf. Lots of swing inconsistency. I'm working through some stuff I took lessons for recently, but I walk off the golf course sometimes wanting to kick puppies because I'm playing significantly worse than I know what my ability is. I'm getting saved by my ability to putt mostly.

The spiral of negativity that can destroy a golf game is real and it's very hard to control sometimes.
 

steveluck7

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May 10, 2007
3,994
Burrillville, RI
Had probably the worst round I’ve had in my 20 years of playing yesterday. In no particular order:
Hit a tee shot basically off the shaft of my driver that dribbled off the tee box and went about 10 feet.
Whiffed on a ball in the middle of the fairway (ball was only in the fairway thanks to a bounce off of a tree)
Hit 2 balls into a marshy area on one hole, the second of which was with a wedge where the ball rode the club face all the way up my follow-through.
This was only the second time I played with one of the guys in the group. The first time, I played pretty well (shot 84). So yesterday at the start, he was taking handicaps for our match, I told him I’m still a 17. He joked that I was sandbagging.
When we finished and headed up for a beer, I just looked at him and joked back “still think I was sandbagging?”
 
Yesterday I played what will probably be my last tournament round of the year, and quite possibly my last round of the year. My playing partner was my opponent a few years ago in the quarterfinal of the big Esmond Trophy matchplay tournament in North Berwick, a match I won in part because I holed my second shot from the fairway for an eagle at the par-4 opening hole. So yesterday, the wind was howling from behind on the par-5 opening hole at Dunbar, and I hit a perfect drive down the middle and - with only a 7-iron into the green - intentionally landed the ball short of the burn 20 yards in front of the green, bounced it over and rolled only a 20-footer for eagle. I told my partner that if I made that and eagled another opening hole with him, I'd have to hire him to start every round with me!

Unfortunately, I missed the putt and settled for birdie, and although I did pretty well to play the downwind front nine in 38 (+1), I then started the back nine (which mostly played back into the wind) double-double-triple and wound up coming home in 45 (+11) for 83. It happens - really, the wind was too strong for me to have expected anything else, although it was nice to have a few good moments on the outward nine before the inevitable happened on the way back.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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Feb 22, 2004
12,958
The Paris of the 80s
Weirdness on the course this weekend. I hit the pin with a wedge on #2, then found my ball at rest on a sprinkler head next to the green on #4, and flew my tee shot into an open electrical access panel on the fringe on #6.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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This weekend, I played in my first competitive plaque tournament in about a decade - 3 day Fall Member Member. 63 holes over three days. Partner was a -10, I’m an 18. In our flight, he was giving strikes to almost everybody, but I got 3-4 a side off his ball. We finished mid flight, won a little money on skins. Fun weekend, but I am golfed out for awhile. It was good to experience the pressure/nerves thing for real, even if I didn’t deal with it consistently well.
 

TFP

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It was good to experience the pressure/nerves thing for real, even if I didn’t deal with it consistently well
This has been the biggest change for me over the last 3-4 years I think. Back then, I'd be terrified at the thought of a competitive match. I even didn't like doing friendly bets with my friends because the stress and pressure was too much. I'd be anxious about our annual Ryder Cup for weeks in advance.

Now I've played in so many competitive scenarios - member guests, golf trips, golf league, ryder cups, friendly matches that it's just part of the round for me. Now I just hope to play well and let the chips fall where they may, and if I don't then well that's golf. The only way to get used to that stress and pressure is via reps - it's taken legit 4 years for me to really be comfortable. Our Ryder Cup is this weekend, and I've barely thought about the golf part of it and am not remotely nervous about my play. I'll have a little first tee butterflies I'm sure, but not the crippling anxiety it used to be. I've also been an absolute beast in member guests the last two years, winning our flight and having the most points in the entire tourney both times, so that's helped the confidence a bit.

And yesterday I played with my buddy and brother and we did $1/$2/$3 skins (increases every 6 holes) with $5 KPs and $1 dots for birdies and sandy pars. It was a blast and just normal to us now, we've gone full degenerate.
 

TFP

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Also - I finally went in for a fitting last week at True Spec in Waltham. If anyone is looking for a fitter, go to Nick there. Just an awesome experience.

So I've been struggling big time with my irons forever. Even got fit into my current set (M4s with KBS Max 85s shafts) a few years ago at Joe and Leigh's. I've never felt comfortable with them, partially due to swing mechanics then once I figured that out, due to the irons themselves. They're super inconsistent, flying 20 yards different on similar strikes, are prone to huge rope draws, launch low with little spin, and my long irons feel legit impossible to hit.

So first thing we do at my fitting is check them out. Despite being labeled "stiff", they're actually between a regular and senior flex in stiffness. Then we realized they are .5" too long for me, and 20g too light. So I have long, light, whippy shafts with heavy heads on them that are designed to launch as far as possible. No wonder I can't control them. So he's already validated out of the gate my feeling that they're wrong for me. I hit 4 shots with my current 6 iron, all decent swings and contact, not hugely dissimilar. They carry 170, 175, 185. 205. Perfectly illustrating my issue that I have no control over my iron distances.

So he puts me in the P790 heads and Dynamic Gold S300 105g shaft. This is 20g heavier, .5" shorter, 2 flexes stiffer, and the heads are significantly lighter. I stripe my first 4 shots dead center within 3 yards of each other. It felt like playing a different game, like I was actually hitting a PW and not a 6 iron. I almost want to tell him right then and there I'm done, but we agree it's worth hitting other shaft and head combos. We cycle through a bunch more but none felt as good as the original combo. We go back to that and I stripe them again, affirming that it's the club and not just luck on the first few swings. So we decide these are it, and I hit some more to see if I can get some misses in there. I do, I push a few left (i'm a lefty) and over pull a few draws. They're 5 yards short and long, respectively. Which is great - my misses are drastically reduced.

Overall it was a great experience. Nick is super patient and positive but explains everything in detail as to why he's doing what he's doing. I decided to order through him on the spot (I wasn't planning to) because TS will build the clubs themselves and check the specs to make sure they match exactly what I was hitting in the fitting. And they're guaranteed if I don't like them, so I won't run into the same situation where I hate the ones I get. But even going in and getting the fitting then shopping for your own clubs is very viable strategy.

Just counting down the days until they arrive.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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Feb 22, 2004
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The Paris of the 80s
Also - I finally went in for a fitting last week at True Spec in Waltham. If anyone is looking for a fitter, go to Nick there. Just an awesome experience.

So I've been struggling big time with my irons forever. Even got fit into my current set (M4s with KBS Max 85s shafts) a few years ago...
85g steel iron shafts are extremely light, but assuming they're steel I don't think those are actually 85g. I suspect they were a one-off made specifically for TM and PGA Superstore has them marked at 108g. Regular, stiff, extra tend to be relative to other shafts in the product line. Maybe they were a TM special made to max distance at all cost of accuracy. It wouldn't surprise me from TM.

The DG 105 S300 is actually 103g or 107g depending on whether you got the tapered or parallel version. Still a light weight steel shaft but I bet it feels very different. I'm pretty sure all of the DG numbered variants (95, 105, 115, 120) try to maintain some of the original DG characteristics while reducing weight to improve swing speed. The original DG are heavy, the S300 is 130g, and have been around forever but they're still really good extremely accurate shafts.
 

TFP

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85g steel iron shafts are extremely light, but assuming they're steel I don't think those are actually 85g. I suspect they were a one-off made specifically for TM and PGA Superstore has them marked at 108g. Regular, stiff, extra tend to be relative to other shafts in the product line. Maybe they were a TM special made to max distance at all cost of accuracy. It wouldn't surprise me from TM.

The DG 105 S300 is actually 103g or 107g depending on whether you got the tapered or parallel version. Still a light weight steel shaft but I bet it feels very different. I'm pretty sure all of the DG numbered variants (95, 105, 115, 120) try to maintain some of the original DG characteristics while reducing weight to improve swing speed. The original DG are heavy, the S300 is 130g, and have been around forever but they're still really good extremely accurate shafts.
I was just going off the TM website - the specs tab has the KBS Max S at 87g. The DGs were 103g in the 6 iron (so I guess 15g difference). I wonder if it was a one off for the M4s that year but the fitter confirmed they were way way too light for me, he weighed mine right there and said it was in the 80s. They were very very much the wrong shaft.

I tried the following shafts: Nippon modus 105 and 120, KBS c-taper lite 110, KBS tour V 110. The DG S300 105 were by far the best for me both in feel and results. I also tried the following heads: P770, Titleist t200, Mizuno JPX 921 hot metal, Callaway Apex, Callaway Mavrik pro. Hated the Titelist, the Mizunos were too hot/inconsistent, the Apexes were pretty nice, and the Mavriks I kept hitting thin and clicky. I loved the P770s, but they were just a tick more inconsistent and a few yards shorter to boot (due to the lofts being much higher). We debated a combo set between the p790s and p770s, but then we're getting into loft adjustments on both sets to help the gapping and frankly the juice wasn't worth the squeeze there. The 790s are a big enough jump to a "players iron" where it would still feel like good control in the shorter clubs.
 

Phragle

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Jan 1, 2009
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Frustrating last two weeks of golf. Lots of swing inconsistency. I'm working through some stuff I took lessons for recently, but I walk off the golf course sometimes wanting to kick puppies because I'm playing significantly worse than I know what my ability is. I'm getting saved by my ability to putt mostly.

The spiral of negativity that can destroy a golf game is real and it's very hard to control sometimes.
Been there. I usually hit the range and film my swing to see what's going wrong. Sometimes I won't wait and I'll record myself on the course

Also - I finally went in for a fitting last week at True Spec in Waltham. If anyone is looking for a fitter, go to Nick there. Just an awesome experience.

So I've been struggling big time with my irons forever. Even got fit into my current set (M4s with KBS Max 85s shafts) a few years ago at Joe and Leigh's. I've never felt comfortable with them, partially due to swing mechanics then once I figured that out, due to the irons themselves. They're super inconsistent, flying 20 yards different on similar strikes, are prone to huge rope draws, launch low with little spin, and my long irons feel legit impossible to hit.

So first thing we do at my fitting is check them out. Despite being labeled "stiff", they're actually between a regular and senior flex in stiffness. Then we realized they are .5" too long for me, and 20g too light. So I have long, light, whippy shafts with heavy heads on them that are designed to launch as far as possible. No wonder I can't control them. So he's already validated out of the gate my feeling that they're wrong for me. I hit 4 shots with my current 6 iron, all decent swings and contact, not hugely dissimilar. They carry 170, 175, 185. 205. Perfectly illustrating my issue that I have no control over my iron distances.

So he puts me in the P790 heads and Dynamic Gold S300 105g shaft. This is 20g heavier, .5" shorter, 2 flexes stiffer, and the heads are significantly lighter. I stripe my first 4 shots dead center within 3 yards of each other. It felt like playing a different game, like I was actually hitting a PW and not a 6 iron. I almost want to tell him right then and there I'm done, but we agree it's worth hitting other shaft and head combos. We cycle through a bunch more but none felt as good as the original combo. We go back to that and I stripe them again, affirming that it's the club and not just luck on the first few swings. So we decide these are it, and I hit some more to see if I can get some misses in there. I do, I push a few left (i'm a lefty) and over pull a few draws. They're 5 yards short and long, respectively. Which is great - my misses are drastically reduced.

Overall it was a great experience. Nick is super patient and positive but explains everything in detail as to why he's doing what he's doing. I decided to order through him on the spot (I wasn't planning to) because TS will build the clubs themselves and check the specs to make sure they match exactly what I was hitting in the fitting. And they're guaranteed if I don't like them, so I won't run into the same situation where I hate the ones I get. But even going in and getting the fitting then shopping for your own clubs is very viable strategy.

Just counting down the days until they arrive.
That's good to hear. I've read great stuff about Tour Spec. I wouldn't think too much about your old set. So many brands, especially TM have these lines that are all about marketing and max distance, and are cheaply made with light whippy, made for parallel shafts. It's honestly crap and I doubt they're the right fit for anyone. Your new set is a real set from a real fitting. Only problem now is waiting for them -- you're probably gonna have to make another trip to NC. Man that would be a shame
 

Zomp

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For the last time ever, today I played Metacomet Golf Club in East Providence, RI. Metacomet has been talked about on this site before and articles have been linked to show what Faxon and his group did to the membership.

The course is a Donald Ross and back in its hey day it was the pinnacle of Rhode Island golf. Its a par 70 with every hole either up hill or down hill (sometimes both) and is extremely tough. Conditions wise it was the best or second best club I've played all year. Had 79. Not bad.


Tomorrow is the last day it will be open, but because of the weather we're expecting, today was the last day. I had a rain check that they were kind enough to let me use as a single, pairing me up with a member and 2 guests. I saw fivesomes, sixsomes, dads with their kids. Everyone was out today to play it one last time as staff were digging up the course plaques and monuments around us. A few members looked emotional. I'm sure I'd be too if I was a member there for a long time.

Despite playing decent I had feeling of melancholy the whole day. Its a shame to lose such a great track.
 

TFP

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I've only played it once but those greens are the closest to his Pinehurst greens I've seen anywhere. Just incredible. Such a shame to be losing it.
 

Was (Not Wasdin)

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Jul 26, 2007
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Thirded. Only got to play 9 with Zomp before we got rained out (hence the rain check) but I thought it was a nice course, tough but fair, and lightning greens. Sucks to lose a nice course like that.
 

Leon Trotsky

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Word I hear from my EP friends is a push for the Town to take the place by eminent domain and keep as a park (no golf). The Town was stupid to not buy it in the first place when it was in receivership. Probably would have been way cheaper.

Its a really nice course. The greens are diabolical (for me). It would be great for the town to keep 9 holes as a muni and open the rest to parkland, in an alternate world.
 

Zomp

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I mean why can't the town take it and make it a muni course? Triggs is holding up just fine. Even if the conditions suffer a little it would still be a great play.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Nice golf last week, not consistent but birdies every round:

Monday: Richmond Country Club, we had a bramble tournament with our 3 foursomes from the usual Monday league which ended before Labor Day. We took 60% handicaps to account for the benefit of using best drive every hole, and I shot an 84 net 72. We definitely used more than a quarter of my drives, so I'd probably place my actual score upper 80s to 90 if I played my own ball throughout. We had a guy who shot a net 61 so we finished -28 taking the best two net scores from each hole, winning the tourney.

Friday: Played North Kingstown over in Quonset, butchered the first two holes for consecutive sevens (+6 through 2), but settled down for +16 on the final 16 holes for 50-42-92. Finished with a birdie on the 18th which always brings you back.

Sunday: Played my weekly 9-hole league at Midville Golf Club and shot a 40 including another birdie on the final hole. Good score for that course as it has deceptively nasty approaches with greens on plateaus and false fronts to help deny any balls you want to run on.

My swing is hanging on by a thread but I can already tell my new Cleveland irons are very forgiving, and my Mavrik driver is consistent (although for the most part that means somewhere between a fade to slice). Can't wait to eventually have some break from playing rounds and getting my swing tightened up on the range again, using some of the tips posted here.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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Went to the range Saturday. Couldn't hit anything crisp more than a half wedge. Luckily I had my brother video some of my swings I saw that I was laying the club off a lot at the top. I will try to add photos later as an example. Tuesday I went out and shot a 79 (yes, for 18), focusing just on trying to keep the shaft on the same plane. By far the best round of the year... and top 3 in my life.
 
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Zomp

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Nice golf last week, not consistent but birdies every round:

Monday: Richmond Country Club, we had a bramble tournament with our 3 foursomes from the usual Monday league which ended before Labor Day. We took 60% handicaps to account for the benefit of using best drive every hole, and I shot an 84 net 72. We definitely used more than a quarter of my drives, so I'd probably place my actual score upper 80s to 90 if I played my own ball throughout. We had a guy who shot a net 61 so we finished -28 taking the best two net scores from each hole, winning the tourney.

Friday: Played North Kingstown over in Quonset, butchered the first two holes for consecutive sevens (+6 through 2), but settled down for +16 on the final 16 holes for 50-42-92. Finished with a birdie on the 18th which always brings you back.

Sunday: Played my weekly 9-hole league at Midville Golf Club and shot a 40 including another birdie on the final hole. Good score for that course as it has deceptively nasty approaches with greens on plateaus and false fronts to help deny any balls you want to run on.

My swing is hanging on by a thread but I can already tell my new Cleveland irons are very forgiving, and my Mavrik driver is consistent (although for the most part that means somewhere between a fade to slice). Can't wait to eventually have some break from playing rounds and getting my swing tightened up on the range again, using some of the tips posted here.

Richmond is the definition of target golf but I am a fan. It has some really nice holes and conditions wise its always good.
 

ezemerson

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Jan 19, 2013
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For the last time ever, today I played Metacomet Golf Club in East Providence, RI. Metacomet has been talked about on this site before and articles have been linked to show what Faxon and his group did to the membership.

The course is a Donald Ross and back in its hey day it was the pinnacle of Rhode Island golf. Its a par 70 with every hole either up hill or down hill (sometimes both) and is extremely tough. Conditions wise it was the best or second best club I've played all year. Had 79. Not bad.


Tomorrow is the last day it will be open, but because of the weather we're expecting, today was the last day. I had a rain check that they were kind enough to let me use as a single, pairing me up with a member and 2 guests. I saw fivesomes, sixsomes, dads with their kids. Everyone was out today to play it one last time as staff were digging up the course plaques and monuments around us. A few members looked emotional. I'm sure I'd be too if I was a member there for a long time.

Despite playing decent I had feeling of melancholy the whole day. Its a shame to lose such a great track.
Born and raised in EP and had never played Metacomet until this year.....been lucky enough to play Agawam and Wannamoisett a few times....when i heard the news of its closing had to make sure i got there a few times....i played on Saturday for the final time before its closure and i dont think i can even count how many putts i had. greens were absolute lightning but in perfect condition. for me Wannamoisett is the class of the town, but Metacomet is a close second with Agawam being a distant third. Pretty cool that such a small place could have three special courses.....here's hoping something crazy happens and it is saved
 

Zomp

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Agreed but Wannamoisett is as private as they come. I’ve played a handful of times and it’s always a treat.

agawam looks to be on the way out, unfortunately. Never a good sign when a private club is on golf now.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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FL4WL3SS

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Went to the range Saturday. Couldn't hit anything crisp more than a half wedge. Luckily I had my brother video some of my swings I saw that I was laying the club off a lot at the top. I will try to add photos later as an example. Tuesday I went out and shot a 79 (yes, for 18), focusing just on trying to keep the shaft on the same plane. By far the best round of the year... and top 3 in my life.
Two rules in golf that you should always remember and will generally make your golfing life easier a) play steep to shallow, and b) play closed to open.

Your shaft should be steeper on the way back than it is on the way down; ensuring, of course, that is somewhere close to the shaft plane throughout. Likewise, your clubface should generally play closed until impact and open on the follow through. If the toe of your club is pointing to the sky halfway down, you'll need way too much timing to close the club in time for impact. This is at odds with old school teaching methods, so be careful listening to guys like Leadbetter.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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Speaking of courses on the way out... one seems to be back on the way in:

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/Yale-Golf-Course-2020

I was fortunate enough (read: bid enough) to play this course once with a few other SoSH Stalwarts (@EdRalphRomero, @Average Reds, @Saints Rest ) . I am glad to see that it is back on its feet... it is a beauty of a course. She certainly looked better than my company that day.
That's good news. I love the idea of restoring old courses to original design elements. A friend of mine is a member of Worcestor CC, and although part of the reason was due to invasive bug species issues, the course removed a lot of trees to get closer to Ross' original design there. I lean to the "Yale is a ridicilous design" side of things, at least for a few of the the holes, but appreciate the course's history and the fact it's considered a great design, and look forward to playing it again someday.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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So here is the top of my backswing, Saturday, in all of its unglory.

The red line was the shaft angle at address. Problem 1. Yellow is where the shaft was at the top of the back swing on an aggregate of a few swings. Green is where I want to work on getting. Ideally I can bring it back on more of the green arrow, then drop into the red/green gap

And I also saw the whole front side collapsing on this ... so i also focused on keeping the weight on the inside of my right foot. (EDIT - just noticing now how unsquare my hips got.. I an amazed that I was able to make contact.

Whatever I did seemed to work on the course. I think it was the first time in my life that I was ever long on a par 5 in two (when the course wasn't using winter greens).

34578
 
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